The Thief
by aFunnySnowYeti
Summary: Story of Hefring, the man who stole the blue egg.  There will be 5 parts
1. Hefring

Chapter One "Hefring"

"_There he was. In the middle of a room. Quaint. The walls were made of stone, the ceiling too. Something stung his nostrils and he noticed a doorway to his left. He saw an orange glow emanating from its entrance. Fire. He tried to move but something was preventing him from doing so. Fear struck and his blood rushed to his head. All he could hear was the raging thumping of his heart. Another noise. A man's voice. He couldn't make out what the man said but it made his heart beat even faster, it sounded cold, full of hatred. Then he heard screams come from somewhere he couldn't see. Then footsteps. A shadow dragged across the threshold of the door and a man emerged. He was a beast of a man. Black hair swung from his head and down his shoulders. His face was clean but his eyes…his eyes, one blue, one black, stared icily down towards him." _

_The man spoke in the same cruel tone as before, "Your family is dead, boy."_

Hefring woke as he uttered a desperate cry of pain. His cloth tunic was soaked with sweat and he was trembling. "Another bloody dream", he muttered as he ran his fingers over his face. He was lying on his back, staring up at the underbelly of a monstrous tree. He analyzed the patterns in the bark for a while. A lone ant crawled in front of his eyes and he admired its attitude, determined and strong.

Hefring rolled out of his makeshift shelter and looked about his surroundings. He was in the middle of a forest. A thick forest made up of deciduous behemoths. The trees where hundreds of feet tall and thick, very thick. Moss covered the rocks and the bases of the trees and an abundance of shrubs and other dense plant life covered the majority of the ground. He looked at his camp. His bedroll was under the tree and his pack was propped up nearby. He had only brought the essentials - his bow and arrows and a few days food. If this trip lasted longer than he expected he could always hunt or scavenge.

He remembered the stream he passed when finding a place to sleep the night before. Hefring shoved his way through the underbrush and came to a small brook. It looked out of place in the forest. Compared to everything else it was tiny and feeble, like a single thread in a wool carpet. It was running over moss covered stones and boulders and from a gentle crashing sound, he could tell there was a waterfall somewhere downstream. He approached a pool about a foot deep, looked deep into it and examined what he saw. A boy. He was still just a boy. 14 years old. His hair was the color of sand and his skin was somewhat pale. Hefring looked with pity on the figure. He was small and gaunt, all muscle and bone. "_Master says I can leave when I'm strong enough", _Hefring thought. Somehow, as hard as he tried, he could not imagine that day coming.

Then he remembered what his master told him. "Contact me every morning after you wake and every night before you go to sleep". Hefring sighed as he looked back into the pool. "Draumr kópa" he muttered as he pictured the place he called home. He felt his energy dwindle as the water shimmered slightly. Then the darkness of a familiar room came into sight. "Master!" Hefring shouted. A man peeked into view then disappeared. A couple minutes later the figure returned and strode towards the point of view.

"Master", Hefring said as he dipped his head.

"Hefring", the man returned and replied in a somewhat sarcastic tone, his eyebrows rising. "You're not dead yet."

Hefring examined the old man's face. He had long tangled grey hair but oddly his beard was relatively short. The wrinkles in his face and his withered skin made him look ancient.

"Have you caught up with the soldiers yet?" the old man asked.

"Nope. But I have seen traces of them moving in this area." Hefring replied

"Good, Good." The old man looked past Hefring's apparent form and muttered, "Ajax has returned."

Then he continued in a hurried tone, "The soldiers are ten miles north of your position. They are sticking to the trail. Their pace is relaxed; you can catch up by tomorrow morning, if you hurry, tonight."

At that the man walked out of view. Hefring waited for a while and when he realized his master was not returning, he ended the spell.

After refilling his deerskin canteen and washing his face in the cool water, Hefring stood up, sighed, and started back to his camp.

He picked up his bedroll, rolled it tightly and tied it to the back of his pack. He then took his bow, strung it and slung it over his shoulders. _Off again_ he thought as he started his trek back to the trail, the opposite direction of the stream. After what seemed like a half an hour, Hefring saw a reasonable clear area through the brush. He was almost to the trail. Rushing forward, eager to be able to walk easily, his foot caught a root, amongst other things, and he tripped and fell forward. He face planted right into packed dirt and rock with an appropriate "OUCH!"

Hefring picked himself off the rough ground and got on his knees. As he rubbed his nose he looked up and down the path to see if anyone saw what had happened but nobody was there. He still felt embarrassed. He had spent his entire life in these forests so why, then, was he still blundering around like a mad old fool.

Hefring stood up and looked up at the canopy. From the position of the sun, he could tell that it was a few hours after daybreak. _"Tomorrow morning…"_ he thought as he remembered what his master had said. _"The old man might be a little odd but his ability to judge and perceive things is spot on." _

"I may not be strong but at least I'm in shape." He muttered as he started running down the winding trail. He looked around him at the looming trees. Big animals are known to live here. He would be concerned but he recalled what Ajax had told him several days ago before he left. _"Neither the beasts of the forest nor the beasts of the air will dare hurt you. I have dominion over these lesser creatures and they obey me. However, do not let your guard down young one, for the forest itself can be dangerous."_

Reassured that he would not encounter trouble until he reached the soldiers, he let all fear seep away. Soon the rhythmic beating of his leather shoes hitting the earth beneath them lulled Hefring into a trance. His mind drifted back to when he was a little boy. He couldn't remember much. Most of his memories came from Ajax, but even he couldn't answer all of Hefring's questions.

He thought back as far as his mind allowed. Only flickers of images passed through is head. There had been water, lots of furious water. He could remember the noise- a raging and thunderous noise. A waterfall? Then Ajax. From the memories Ajax showed him, he knew he had been in a river. Ajax found him along the bank dying. He had been sliced with a sword. The wound crossed his front torso, from shoulder to hip. Ajax carried him to his home, the ancient keep. It was days before Hefring regained consciousness, even with Ajax's healing abilities. From then on he had learned everything he could from Ajax, that is, until the old man arrived. The old man.

"_He barged right into our home didn't he, Ajax"_ Hefring thought to himself, concentrating on the path in front of him. _"Though it's not all bad…" _From Ajax's account the old man purely and utterly destroyed his mental barriers and all magical advantages he had garnered through the years. Hefring still couldn't believe that an old fool like Master could defeat Ajax so easily. Why the old man wanted to stay in the keep with them is another mystery.

Hefring's thoughts changed direction as he pondered about his family. Where did he come from? Who were his parents? Nothing Ajax told him pointed him in a direction, it was only theories. He imagined coming from a rich merchant family, travelling through the Hadarac desert to get to the land of Surda. Or perhaps an elf had magically spawned from a tree and sung him as a baby out of pure oak. Hefring laughed at his own joke.

For the majority of the day, Hefring concentrated on running as he theorized about his heritage. At one point in the path, where a stream cut across, Hefring stopped to rest and filled his canteen and washed the sweat off his face. Soon after he found himself running again.

As Hefring became more and more fatigued, he noticed the sun dropping to angles below the trees, where he could no longer see it. Finally, it was dusk.

Figuring he would catch up with the soldiers in the morning, he slowed to a walk and trudged off the path looking for a place to make camp for the night. He noticed a large rock formation several hundred feet away and approached it, looking for a cave or over hang. As Hefring rounded the rock he saw a very large cave covering most of the rear, facing away from the path. It was the perfect spot to spend the night. He climbed up some loose stones and peered into the cave. It wasn't very deep but it was wide. Content, Hefring dropped his pack on the stone floor and untied his bedroll. As soon as he unrolled it along the edge of the cave, he plopped down on it and let out a groan. It felt good to be off his feet after a full day of running.

Ignoring the nagging concern for his own safety, Hefring slid down to a laying position and drifted off to sleep.

The sound of shouting woke him up. It was full of merriment. _"Weird" _Hefringthought. He pulled himself off of his bedroll and strode to the edge of the cave. It was still dark. It seemed that he had only been asleep for a couple hours. He analyzed the sound again. It was the voices of men. It sounded as if they were dancing and singing, and perhaps a little drunk.

The situation unfolded rapidly in Hefring's mind. _"The soldiers! They must have made camp in the forest while I was still running. I could have gone right by them!" _At first he chastised himself for making such a dangerous blunder. Then he realized that this was his chance to deal with the soldiers as a plan rolled through his mind.

Running to his pack, Hefring grabbed his bow and quiver of arrows and slung them over his shoulder. He then ran out of the cave and down the path opposite the sound of the merry men. It was going to be a long night.


	2. Ambushed

It was day break and the column of soldiers was following the trail. Why wouldn't they, if they tried to go through the trees and thick underbrush they would be slowed down considerably. Satisfied, Hefring ran along the ditch he was in and then cut through the forest to where the trail made a sharp curve. He came out about two hundred yards in front of the soldiers. He climbed the tree where he stashed his bow and settled into a crouch on a branch about fifty feet above the ground. He heard them coming. He looked down at the brambles and spikes he set up as a barricade. The soldiers would come to a stop and the rest of his plan would come into being. He had hoisted a huge tree trunk, about 30 feet in length, into the air. He then heaved the trunk backward with a vine which he tied to his tree. The trunk would swing downward towards the path, hopefully killing the majority of the soldiers. He saw the column round the corner and proceed toward him. He was prepared.

Hefring took his quiver of arrows and winched it between two branches near his right hand. He then took four arrows out, strung one and held the others in his left hand. The lead soldier was followed by ten others. Hefring's heart started beating hard and adrenaline ran through his body. As the soldiers closed in on the barricade, he got in a stance and drew his bow. He pulled the base of the arrow to the edge of his right cheekbone and gazed down the shaft. He watched as the leader slowed his pace and raised his right hand in a fist, signaling the rest of the column to come to a halt.

Hefring took a calm breath and held it, aligned his drawn arrow towards the center of the man's chest, and let it fly. It buzzed through the air like an angry hornet and buried itself deep in its target. For a long second nothing moved. The man looked down at his chest with a confused look on his face. He reached up and grasped the base of the arrow as if he was going to pull it out, blood poured freely between his fingers, then he fell. Everything sped up. The rest of the men panicked. The ones that were near the front started bullying their way to the rear of the column, knocking down their comrades.

Suddenly Hefring felt a surge of energy. There was an explosion nearby, flames reaching upwards like a giant hand trying to grab him. He cried out in pain as the flames seared his face. As he covered himself with his arms another explosion rent the area directly below him, enveloping the entire area with an angry fire. The tree jarred and then started falling sideways with an earsplitting creak. Hefring lost his balance as the tree began to fall, dropping his bow into the bellowing forest below him.

Hefring's breath was knocked out of his lungs as he hit the ground. He was stunned. The vine he had tied to the hoisted trunk snapped with a loud twang. He looked to his right and saw the tree swing low to the ground. It was swinging toward him. He gazed upward as it passed over his body, missing him by less than a foot. The vine that was keeping the tree airborne suddenly snapped as well, sending it flying and tumbling off direction and through the forest.

Hefring tried to lean forward to get his bearings but he fell back. He felt weak, as if he had been deprived of all his energy. As he lay there his thoughts drifted to the ambush. _"What went wrong"_, he thought. Then he realized where the explosions came from. "_They have a spell caster. They weren't supposed to have a spell caster!" _Panic rushed through Hefring's being_. "These soldiers are well prepared. I cannot defeat them on my own!" _

He groaned as got into a sitting position. He caught his breath but it was short-lived. The forest was on fire. All around him angry flames consumed the lush underbrush and climbed the many trees. The wind changed direction suddenly and a furious black smoke enveloped him. Coughing and groaning Hefring pushed himself into a crouch and then stood, taking the top of his tunic and covering his nose and mouth with it. He looked towards the trail. _"No sign of the soldiers"_ he thought. He noticed the barricade was burning as well, leaving a gaping hole in the middle. They must have continued down the path.

Hefring avoided the fires behind him and started running back up the trail. The panic that he felt earlier subsided and was replaced by another emotion. Anger. _"That withering old man. My so called Master thinks he knows everything. Soldiers coming this way he said. Soldiers not used to this terrain he said. Good tracking and stealth practice he said. He knew their exact location and their exact pace. How could he not know about the spell caster!" _

Hefring sighed. He'd have a good talk to the old man when he got back. Right now he had to concentrate on how to deal with the soldiers. After running for a couple minutes, Hefring slowed and came to stop. He looked up and down the trail. Nobody. He trudged up the embankment to his right and crouched behind a large tree bordering the path.

He gazed down at the ground by his feet as he pondered the situation. The soldiers were headed directly towards his home. For an instant Hefring considered letting them go on their way. When they got there they would have to confront his master and Ajax. He laughed at that last part, visualizing the battle that would take place. _"No, if the soldiers got to the keep they would be massacred. I have to prove myself to Master, this is my chance."_

Deciding that he would come up with a plan as he worked on locating the soldiers, Hefring stood and turned around, facing away from the path. As soon as he turned he saw a glimpse of a body. He tried to react but was not fast enough. A hand shot towards him and grasped him by the throat and hefted him off his feet. Hefring gazed down the arm that held him and examined the rest of the being. He was startled by what he saw. In front of him was a woman dressed as a soldier of the Empire. She had long dark brown hair and fierce eyes. She was not much taller than himself and had a small frame. Hefring put her age at about nineteen_. "How can this woman be this strong"_ Hefring thought as he struggled to breath. There was no waiver or sign of weakness in the woman's arm. Suddenly he felt a presence in his mind. The woman was trying to pry through his thoughts. He tried to put up a barrier around his mind but he couldn't concentrate.

Hefring's vision stared to fade. Blotches of black appeared and disappeared in his vision. Sensing that he was about to black out, he tried to mutter something to the woman. "Heptht me gtho"he said in a gasping voice. When he got no response he muttered "wghat do thyou want?" At that he felt the presence in his mind leave and the woman finally softened her grip. She gently lowered Hefring to his feet. As soon as the woman released her grip, he fell to his knees grasping his neck, gasping for air.

"What do _you_ want? ", said the woman in a surprisingly pleasant voice.

Hefring couldn't reply, he was still clutching his throat. The woman reached down, un-pried Hefring's hands and re-grasped his neck. This time however her grip was soft and gentle. "Waise heill", she muttered. Hefring felt a wave of pleasure rush through his neck. The pain that was there left and he could breathe clearly again. He slowly stood up, still rubbing his neck, and leaned up against the tree. He was confused. The woman obviously showed hostility toward him but, then, why would she heal him? Where were the other soldiers? What did she want? Was this the spell caster who almost killed him in the tree?

The woman took a couple steps back and looked towards him. Hefring met her gaze and looked into her eyes. They were full of mystery. They looked hard and calculating, but at the same time they appeared weary and full of sorrow.

"What's your name", the woman said in a gentle voice.

"Hefring", he said with a cough. "Who are you?"

"I have many names", the woman replied, "Mostly I'm known as the Black Hand, servant to Morzan of the Forsworn. You, however, may call me Selena."


	3. Retribution

"Who is Morzan and what is the Forsworn?"

Selena's brow deepened and she looked surprised. "You can't possibly not know who they are", she said. "Everybody knows."

"Well I don't. I've never left this mountain range." Hefring replied, gesturing to the forest around him. "I don't know much of anything outside of this area. Master has told me some history of this land but nothing recent."

Selena sighed. She looked down at her hands as if she were examining them. "Maybe its best you don't know", she said in a hushed tone, "this world is not a kind one."

"Can you…?"

Selena replied abruptly, "No, it is not my place to determine what is best for you. Ignorance is sometimes a blessing and is sometimes a curse. This situation, well, I cannot tell which it is."

Hefring shifted his weight and analyzed the surroundings. The sun was directly overhead. Beams of light were shining sporadically through the canopies, illuminating patches of earth and plants on the forest floor. His gaze returned to the mysterious woman. "Why are you here?" he asked, quicker this time so he would not get cut off.

Selena sighed again. Hefring noticed a hint of sadness coming from her voice. "I am under orders from my master to investigate this area. We are searching for a certain place. Apparently you _live_ in the place."

His master had guessed right. The soldiers were here for the magic in the cavern under the place they called home. He wondered how determined these people were to acquire what they came for.

"You will not achieve your goal" Hefring replied, his voice determined and steady, "We will kill you and all your men. We have to. If you leave you will just come back with more and more soldiers."

Selena laughed. It was a humorless laugh and it sounded fake and empty, but Hefring thought he saw a flicker of happiness glint from the woman's eyes. "You're a brave young man, you know. I wish there were more like you in the rest of this world. Willing to defend their honor, their homes and families. I am not here to kill innocent people but I can't say the same about my men. They thirst for action, for bloodshed. If they see you or your friends they will cut you down."

It was Hefring's turn to laugh. Selena looked surprised, perhaps even disturbed. "You laugh at death?" she asked. At that point Hefring realized the she couldn't have delved too deep into his mind. _"Perhaps she was just determining if I was a threat"_ he thought. She had no idea about the capabilities of his "friends".

Suddenly Hefring heard several blood curdling screams coming from down the path, where he launched his ambush.

He looked down the path and saw movement.

"Do you see that?" he said. "Yes." Selena replied.

As the figure got closer it became apparent as to what it was. Hefring's heart quickened and for some reason he was relieved. He looked at Selena who had moved closer to him to get a better view of the path. She looked worried. She apparently knew what she was looking at as well.

The figure was a man. He was dressed in a mail cuirass with a red cross on the front, clinking as he ran. It was one of the soldiers from before. His arm was missing. Blood was gushing out of his wound, splashing the path as he ran. There where large, deep gashes along his stomach as well. Hefring could see the man clenching one of them with his good arm. He was trying to keep his innards from spilling out.

Hefring was surprised and impressed at the man. With those types of injuries, he should be dead or dying instead of running at a full sprint. "How is he not dead?" he muttered.

"I….I don't know. What in a shade's heart happened?" Selena muttered back as she watched the man slow down to a walk and then fall to his knees.

Hefring knew. He also knew all of Selena's questions would be answered soon enough.

Selena jerked forward as if forcing herself to move, and then took a couple steps in the direction of the man. Hefring bounded forward as well and caught hold of Selena's shoulder.

"I wouldn't do that" he said in warning tone.

"I have to…" Selena started to reply. Something interrupted her. There was a deep growling noise from down the path. So deep it seemed to echo in Hefring's body. "Here it comes" he thought out loud. He realized that he was grinning.

Suddenly a huge form bounded out of the forest. All they could see was its shoulders and head for it was too big to fit on the path. It was a wolf. Its coat was black. As black as the darkest night. The only apparent color on the animal came from the slivers of white surrounding its eyes and its mouth which was full of long white teeth at least a foot long each. Its shoulders were close to the lowest branches in the trees. At least thirty feet high.

The beast came to a stop at the path and hesitated as it looked down and stared at its prey. The man slowly tilted his head upwards and stared back into the wolf's eyes. He let out a heart wrenching, horrifying scream. Before the man could react further, the wolf tilted its head sideways, opened its jaws and gripped the man with its teeth, muffling the scream. It then jerked its head and shoulders, throwing the man violently through the forest. The man split where the wolf had gripped him with its teeth and the parts separated through the air. The section with the head collided with a tree. The impact was violent. Blood flew everywhere as the limbs dislocated from the body and flew in separate directions.

Hefring's gaze returned to the wolf. It was staring in his direction. It let out a loud howl, tilting its head backward, and then it bounded the opposite direction into the forest and was gone.

There was silence. Not even the sound of breathing could be heard. Hefring had been holding his breath and apparently so was Selena. He let out his breath with a loud whoosh and turned his gaze to the woman next to him. She was pale and was still staring towards the blood covered tree.

"Wh…what….was that….thing?" she said in a quaky voice.

"That" Hefring replied, "Was Ajax."


	4. Ajax

It was a long time before anyone moved. Selena seemed to lose her demeanor, perhaps realizing that the tides have turned. First it was her and her soldiers against a boy and now it was herself against the full power of the forest, gigantic black wolf and all.

Hefring coughed, still gazing at Selena. "What now?" he asked.

"What?" Selena replied as she jerked out of a trance.

"What do you plan on doing? You have to realize that if you flee, bad things are going to happen." Hefring said, "You can come with me back to the Keep if you want."

"The Keep?" she asked. Then realizing what he was talking about she continued, "The Keep over the caves where you live?"

"Yes I live there. Unfortunately so does my master. He will probably kill you, but it's worth a shot isn't it? I don't want to see you die out here. I am curious as to why you're here and how you learned of this place." Hefring explained.

He looked down and examined the earth beneath his feet. Spotting a decaying leaf laying on top of a rock, he reached down and picked it up.

"It will take the rest of the day to get there if we run. I wish Ajax stayed around, he lets me ride him sometimes." Hefring continued. He ran his fingers along the stem of the leaf and started pulling sections out, dropping them by his feet.

"Ajax…?" Selena said quizzically. "He lets you _ride_ him? Is he more than just a wild wolf that ate too many deer?"

Hefring laughed. "I've known him as long as I can remember. He saved my life when I was a toddler." Hefring paused then continued, "There is more too him than meets the eye you know. Those caves you are looking for, well, he guards them."

Finished peeling the flesh off of the leaf, Hefring rolled the stem between his fingers and when he accidently dropped it his gaze returned to Selena. "Well?" he asked.

Selena strode past him, walked past the tree, down the embankment and onto the path. Hefring followed and faced the direction she was looking - away from his home.

The woman replied as she shook her head, "I…I can't go with you. You said you're master will kill me. I'll take my chances in these forests now that your pet has gone."

Not a second after the words came out of her mouth a huge exhale of hot breath blew against Selena's back, making her jump a few steps forward.

"_I am no one's pet." _

The sudden sound of the voice startled Hefring. It was omniscient as it came from their minds not their ears. The tone was deep, so deep that Hefring could hear the voice long after initial contact, as if it was vibrating through his very thoughts.

Soon after he heard the voice in his head, Hefring felt another swath of hot breath blow against his back and head. He realized it did not have an unpleasant aroma, which was unexpected coming from an animal that ate mostly flesh.

Hefring turned around. He wasn't surprised at what he saw, as he was very familiar with whom the voice belonged too. _"You never fail to impress me my friend" _he thought as he took two steps and laid his hand on the towering wolf's nose. Ajax was lying down in the forest behind them, snaking his head sideways so that it could fit between the trees.

Selena's reaction was not so relaxed. She let out a loud gasp, took a step backward and tripped over a rock, falling on her backside.

"It can talk" Selena directed towards Hefring then looked towards Ajax. "You can talk"

Hefring laughed at her antics and Ajax let out a curious snorting noise as he slowly shifted his weight so he could look at the source of the voice. Without letting the woman return to her feet, Ajax leaned his head in and forced her gaze with one of his large black eyes.

Hefring knew what Ajax was doing. He had seen it before. Ajax would surround the victim's mind and destroy their mental barriers before examining their deepest thoughts. The act alone is harmless although the end result usually included disembowelment or decapitation from the wolf. Ajax is in no way an animal or a beast. He is a creature of magic and intelligence and he is easily angered when related to "unintelligent" and lesser beings. Thus the interrogation.

Hefring noticed the expression on Selena's face. Her eyes were closed but she was obviously in discomfort, eyes flashing around under their lids and a slight grimace surrounding her mouth. The woman continually impressed him. Most people collapse and break under the pressures of Ajax's mind but not her.

Hefring always took Ajax's ability to communicate and use magic for granted. Only recently had he questioned the wolf about it. Ajax didn't know the specifics of the origin of his unique abilities but he offered two theories. One related to the Keep where he lived. With the naturally occurring magic emanating through the caverns he might have gleaned some of its power, having made his home above it. The other theory included various far-off places and the option of him not being a native to this land.

"_Whatever the case" Ajax said_ in that not too distant memory "_I have always had a stitch in my side, an unspoken urge to protect this place. The magic that resides here is too powerful to risk getting in the wrong hands."_

Like Selena.

"_Hefring!"_

The voice jolted Hefring out of his reverie, and he noticed that both Ajax and Selena were looking at him. She had survived after all. Part of him expected her body to be lying on the ground, torn to pieces.

Hefring suddenly felt a presence in his mind and recognized it as Ajax. Before the wolf could project anything Hefring thought – thus talked _– "She passed then. Are we going to bring her back to the Keep?"_

"_Yes Hefring I think we'll bring her back with us. She is not as evil as you might think and besides, we have to deal with her somehow." _Ajax replied.

"_Ok but let's not dwell on it now, I just want to get back home." _Hefring replied, picturing his comfortable cot, "_You think you could help us out, I'm pretty worn out."_

"_Help _you _out! What do you think I've been doing you helpless cub." _Ajax exclaimed as he rolled onto his back and laid his head upside down on the path_._ He snorted at Hefring, blowing him in the face with his breath and Hefring could sense that he was amused.

"_Your ambush was funny" _Ajax continued.

"_Ok ok, enough of that" _Hefring retorted. He looked back at Selena who was staring at Ajax's upside down face. She might have found the scene funny, with Ajax's legs sticking up in the air and all, but this was the same wolf who, moments before, bit a man in half and threw him through the forest.

She must have noticed Hefring staring at her because she turned to him and asked, "Is he going to let us ride him?"

"No" he said.

"Is it because of me?" she asked.

Hefring hesitated and looked back at Ajax, who found it in himself to send another gust of breath in Hefring's direction.

"Yes" he replied.

Hefring looked up through the trees and located the sun and determined that it was a little past midday.

"_Just enough time to get back"_ he thought.

"Ok. We can get back to the Keep before nightfall if we hurry" he directed towards Selena. "I want to try and find my bow and quiver though, they're still over by the ambush site."

Hefring turned towards Ajax who was still in his awkward position in the path, however now his eyes were closed.

"Ahem!" Hefring exclaimed in an exaggerated tone.

After a slight hesitation and when he realized Ajax wasn't going to move he wound up his leg and kicked the wolf square in the nose. Ajax gradually opened his eyes and squinted at Hefring then he opened his maws and yawned, sending a deep howl through the forest, and slowly flipped back to his feet and stood up. Hefring walked past the lumbering wolf and beckoned Selena to follow him. He continued down the path towards the barricade he made the night before. "_Only the night before…man it's been a long day." _He thought.

As he turned a bend in the trail he recognized the site instantly. There were two pools of blood on the ground, one from the man Ajax killed and one from the man Hefring had shot in the heart with an arrow. There wasn't a body but he didn't question it, thinking Ajax took the liberty of disposing it into the woods. To Hefring's right, lay the tree where he was perched in. It was blackened from the fiery explosions sent into it by Selena. The forest surrounding the tree was black as well._ "Good thing this forest stays wet most of the year"_ Hefring thought. If the forest was dry, the fire would consume everything in its path in such a rage not even Ajax could stop it.

Hefring spotted his quiver in the tree, still stuck between the branches where he winched it, pulled it out and slung it over his shoulder. His bow was not so fortunate. Hefring found it close to the base of the tree and it was charred and burned through. He cared more about the quiver for he had just made the arrows recently and he had several other bows back in the Keep so he left it were it lay and walked back to Selena and Ajax who were waiting for him on the trail.

"Just the quiver" Hefring muttered when he got there. Then he realized he had not eaten since the day before and that his pack was a decent run from his location. "I'm hungry" he said aloud then asked Ajax, "Can you lure in a couple rabbits so we can get something to eat."

"_No. Home is just a few hours from here if you run. And I won't just lead an innocent creature to its death. If you need energy take it from me." _Ajax returned.

"Fine" Hefring said. He approached Ajax and laid a hand on one of his paws. He extended his mind to the wolf's and felt around his conscious until he found it. There was a huge store of energy inside of Ajax, nearly unlimited in amount. The source of this energy was a mystery to both Hefring and Ajax but, again, they blamed it on the magical caverns under their home.

Surrounding the source of magic, Hefring urged it forward, into himself and felt as it replenished his own energy store. He beckoned to Selena to come closer and he grabbed her arm when she did. He transferred his energy to her and then filled it up again with Ajax. Soon both Hefring and Selena felt good as new, ready to sprint back to the Keep.

Hefring leaned down and started stretching his legs, mentioning Selena to do the same. It was still a long run. While he was in one of his exercises, Hefring remembered to question Ajax about the body. "_Did you move the body of the man I shot with the arrow?"_

"_Yes, I flung it into the forest for the forest beasts to devour. I did the same with the other nine men I killed for you."_ Ajax replied.

Hefring sighed. He had a very simple mission – kill the eleven soldiers who are approaching the Keep, but he had failed miserably._ "One killed and one prisoner"_ he thought, _"without Ajax I would have probably gotten myself killed. Not very good if you're trying to prove you can survive by yourself."_

Hefring motioned Selena forward. "You lead" he said.

And off they went.


	5. Homecoming

The sun was going down when they finally rounded the corner and saw the Keep. One might pass it by without even noticing it because it was built into the mountain that surrounded it. The main stone wall towered at least fifty feet in the air and was surrounded by multiple towers. The wall was riddled with crumbling stone and in some places it had collapsed entirely. The two main towers, situated along the front section of the wall, enclosed a huge stone door. And in front of the door, a sheer cliff drove downwards into the forest below, where Hefring, Ajax, and Selena now stood.

Selena groaned. It had been a long day of running through the forest and she was tired.

"How are we supposed to get up there" she said after kneeling over to catch her breath. "No, no let me guess" She continued, shifting her gaze towards the black wolf stalking behind them, "Ajax can fly?"

"There's a hidden passage up the mountain" Hefring answered, not amused by Selena's feeble attempt at a joke. "Come on lets go"

They walked at an easy pace until they reached the base of the summit. The cliff was indeed sheer, climbing into the sky above them. Hefring had always thought the cliff actually leaned outwards and he closed in against the rock to check his theory again. As he looked to the sky, Hefring noticed that the sun had dropped below the horizon of trees and he decided that he would much rather sleep in his own bed than out in the forest again.

Hefring led the trio along the cliff. There was a well-worn path between the trees to Hefring's right and the stone to his left, made from years of him walking this same route coming home from hunting expeditions. Ajax could not fit on the path so he lumbered through the forest next to them. The cliff was extremely large so it took them the better part of an hour to traverse their way to the passage Hefring mentioned earlier.

The passage was a stairway, the entrance of which was a narrow gap in the rock just the right size for a young boy and a small framed woman to fit through. Hefring pointed at Selena and then the gap, beckoning her to enter the passage. She muttered something under her breath and squirmed her way through, quickly followed by Hefring. The stairway was very narrow as juts of rock weaved their way in and out along the stairs, which meandered upwards in a generally straight path. Hefring looked up and saw the sky through the sliver of a crack that weaved its way along with the stairs. The sun had finally dropped below the real horizon and the stars were beginning to appear.

Hefring peaked back through the crack and looked for Ajax, who could not possibly fit through the narrow entrance. The wolf had disappeared in the night, leaving them for another passageway further down, which isn't traversable to humans or other natural sized beings.

"Does this go all the way up?" Selena asked from a few steps up from Hefring.

"Yeah it does. It comes out a stones throw from the main gate." He replied.

They made their way up the steep stairs, maintaining a brisk pace. After a while the crack above them widened, revealing more of the sky and Hefring found himself staring up at the stars. They were beautifully laid out leaving bright pin pricks in a black blanket. Hefring hadn't studied the sky in detail until the old man arrived at the Keep. He had taught Hefring about the constellations and galaxies and gave him names to put on them. The man had brought a substantial amount of scrolls and books with him on a vast array of topics. The ones let Hefring study were mostly compendiums filled with the ancient language and various books on astronomy and botany.

Finally arriving at the top of the winding stairs, Hefring and Selena climbed out of the gap in the rock on the outside of the main wall. They rounded a corner of the wall and walked up to the gate. The two towers on both sides of it were looming above them, staring down at them like silent guardians.

They approached the giant stone door which was solid and flawless unlike the rest of the wall. Hefring paused at the door and Selena reached up and ran her fingers against the stone. Then she looked towards Hefring for an explanation, wondering how the door opened.

"It cannot be opened from the outside." He explained and after he laid his hands on the gate he muttered, "Losna du huildr eom thornessa grind. Ma'mor."

There were a series of clicks from behind the stone door and after the mechanism fell silent there was a resounding boom as the door creased down the middle and slowly swung inwards. The door was thicker than it looked from the outside, reinforced by several feet of solid rock.

They walked through the gate and proceeded towards the inner grounds. There was a large smooth field of rock between the outer gates and the inner Keep, which was built at the very rear of the area, against the mountain side. The cliff leaned inwards, extending about halfway over the area leaving the front section open to the elements and the rear, including the Keep, protected.

"This place was built by the dwarves a long time ago." Hefring explained to Selena

They made their way over the flat rock floor to the keep, which was very large itself. They came to a metal gate which, unlike the main door, Hefring unlocked from the outside and it grated inwards until it came to rest on the stone floor. It was eerily dark and musky inside the main chamber. The walls were still made of stone and they were covered with a thick, green moss.

"You live in here?" Selena asked after looking into the chamber.

"It's too big to maintain with just the three of us. We live on the next floor." He replied, walking into the darkness.

Hefring continued for several hundred paces into the chamber, running his hand along the cold, dank wall for support. Selena was right behind him, following the sound of his footsteps.

He came to a familiar spot and swung out his foot towards a gap in the wall. When he hit stone he felt around and made sure they were stairs. He warned Selena about them and they slowly made their way upwards. The lighting slowly got brighter as they closed in to the next floor until, reaching the top of the staircase, a lantern appeared on the wall. Grabbing the white light, Hefring made his way through another dark passage way until he finally came out to the main hallway.

The hallway was quite spacious and the walls were no longer green and damp. They were ornamented with various tapestries and fairths, presenting dwarven kings of old and long lost lands filled with mystical beasts. The ceiling was high and wide with chandeliers dropping down, highlighting the hall with a bright and cheery light. Tables were bordering the walls and on them lay gold plaques and various jewels and trinkets, glittering in the light of the chandeliers.

Hefring dropped the lantern on one of the tables and they made their way down the hall and when Hefring came before a certain door he took a breath and righted himself. He looked at Selena and wondered if she would survive the night hoping she would. He, by all rights, should view her as an enemy for she did approach his home in an act of violence.

He sighed and decided to wait for his master's opinion before making his own.

Hefring pushed the door and let it swing open. Inside was a very large chamber devoid of furniture with the exception of a large stone chair bordering an unlit fireplace on the far wall. Ajax was sprawled out on the left side of the room with his head lying on the bare floor. There were multiple doors leading out to rooms unknown, but besides the chair and fireplace the chamber was unnaturally empty.

Hefring made his way towards Ajax, Selena following close behind. The woman had been very quiet during the journey here, perhaps because she believed that she was walking to her execution.

Hefring reached out with his mind and contacted Ajax. _"Where's master? I kind of expected him to jump down our necks as soon as we came in."_ he asked.

"_Don't get your hopes up Hefring, he comes shortly."_ Ajax replied.

Indeed he did. Only several minutes past after Hefring posed the question when an old man, the same old man Hefring saw in his scry, barged through one of the doors on the opposite wall. He was wearing a plain brown robe, tied in the middle with a black rope, and small leather padded shoes. After entering the room, the old man bounded towards Hefring, Selena and Ajax with an incredulous marching gait.

He paused by the fireplace and pointed a finger at the logs resting within it. They suddenly burst into flames, sending a flickering orange glow against the stone walls.

He came to a stop a couple feet in front of Hefring, ignoring the others, and put his hands behind his back, leaning forward. Hefring noticed the old man's beard was longer than before.

Hefring waited for his master to speak but, after a considerable length of time, he decided the man was waiting for him so he started, "Wha…"

"Did you fetch me a young trout!" the old man suddenly inquired in a loud voice, interrupting Hefring.

"Huh?"

"You know I like a fresh young trout for my dinner. Did you fetch me one?" The man continued still leaning forward.

Hefring hesitated not understanding the situation. "Uh…there aren't any streams big enough in the forest for trout."

"Hmm. Did you try in Belatona? I find the most delicious lake trout come from Lake Leona. I remember visiting a while back and I bought a full stringer of them." The man explained, "You did try in Belatona did you not?"

Finally realizing where the conversation was headed, Hefring decided to skip the banter as he replied, "I killed one soldier and we have a prisoner."

"He he he." The old man chuckled in a high-pitched voice, still not moving. The old man squinted at Hefring through his overgrown eyebrows. Then suddenly he hitched up his robe above his knees, revealing his pale and scrawny legs, and starting kicking Hefring in the shins.

"You dim-witted child." He continued, following Hefring's retreat behind Ajax. "All I asked for was a trout. You couldn't even catch…"

The old man stopped mid-kick when he saw Selena and after a moment of silence in the room he said "Ah we have a guest". He lowered his robe and examined the woman, who was staring with a confused look at the old man.

He strode up to the Selena and poked her in the chest.

"My name is Master but you can call me Master" he said to the woman, who kept staring at him, her mouth slightly agape.

"I'm…" she started to reply.

"The Black Foot," Master interrupted again. "I know who you are, Foot. You aren't fooling anybody here." He was squinting again, this time at the woman.

Selena seemed to choke on her words but after several long seconds she coughed, muttered something under her breath that sounded something like "loony old nut", and turned towards the door they entered through.

Master didn't move until after the woman took several steps, then he raised his hand towards Selena and she crumpling to the ground, letting out a small gasp before falling unconscious. Her arms and leg bones had been shattered, leaving her body limp and twitching on the cold floor. The old man then bounded nimbly towards the body, flipped it over with his foot and stepped on Selena's throat.

Ajax let out a deep growl and bounded to his feet, as if he was going to knock the old man off the woman to protect her.

Without moving the old man raised his other hand and Ajax was suddenly jerked off the ground, elevated in the air. He tried to maintain his balance but ended up just twisting and turning around an unknown center of gravity. The wolf submitted to the powerful spell and fell limp, dangling in the air, feet brushing the stone floor. Getting the control he wanted, the old man released his hold on Ajax, letting him fall to his feet, and stood silent, orange glow from the fire flickering against his face.

Turning towards Hefring and asked, "Why is she still alive?"

"I…she…" Hefring struggled with the words, not knowing how to respond. He was astounded at the old man's power. Ajax couldn't even fight back against him. He jerked his mind away from the confrontation and concentrated on the question. There was a reason Selena was alive, a reason he deemed it necessary to bring her back to the Keep. But what was it?

Ajax answered for him.

"_She wasn't an immediate threat"_ he said to both Hefring and the old man. _"And she had the chance to kill Hefring and chose to spare his life."_

"But you brought her _here_! What are we going to do with her if not kill her?" the old man replied still putting pressure on the woman's neck.

"You can alter her memories." Hefring suggested. For some reason he felt protective towards the woman. She was his only connection with the rest of the world. "You can alter her memories." He said again.

He ran up to his master and pulled him off Selena's body. "She doesn't need to die" he insisted. The old man brushed off Hefring's hand and walked a short ways towards the fireplace.

Hefring's Master stood in front of the fireplace for a long time, watching the flames flicker and glow among the logs. When he finally moved he looked weaker, hobbling more like the old man that he is rather than a strong and nimble spell caster. He strode up to Hefring again, stroking his gray beard.

"Fine." He said, breaking the uncomfortable silence that hung over the chamber. He continued, "I will erase her memories. But you must realize that she will not be staying here."

"What do you mean?"

"She will be returning home and you will not see her again. I assumed you should know since you seem so very fond of her" The old man explained. "But it will have to wait till morning as I'm feeling slightly comatose from all this havoc you've caused." He pointed towards Ajax and muttered, "You deal with her" and then walked across the large room and out one of the doors.

And the Master was gone.


	6. Reminiscence

Hefring stared at the door that crashed behind his master. He had an urge to follow the old man and ring his neck but he forced himself to accept the situation for what it was.

Selena was still collapsed were she fell, seemingly lifeless against the stone floor. Hefring noticed that she had lost the courageous look that she maintained on the journey to the Keep. She looked pitiful laying there, her arms and legs in awkward positions as they swelled up around the joints. Hefring allowed himself to feel sorry for her until, he realized, doing so would not better the situation.

He looked towards Ajax and nodded. The wolf understood the unspoken gesture and took one step towards the prone woman. He bent his head down and touched one of Selena's limbs with his nose and after a very brief moment a soft crackling noise came from the spot. Suddenly Selena's arms popped back into their normal positions and the areas around her joints became less swollen. Hefring could feel the magic emanating from Ajax, giving him a rush of energy even though he stood several feet away from the wolf. After Selena's arms had been restored Ajax moved on to her legs, healing them in a similar fashion.

Ajax raised his head and sat back on his haunches. _"She is healed"_ he said.

"She looks dead" Hefring muttered out loud.

"_She is unconscious. I could revive her but she needs the rest. You should get some rest as well Hefring."_

It was at that moment that Hefring noticed how exhausted he was. His muscles were sore and he felt the pang of hunger and the dryness of thirst, having not ate or drank anything in one and a half days. Figuring he would get something to eat after dealing with the unconscious woman, Hefring bent over, grabbed Selena's arms under the shoulders and started dragging her towards a door next to the fireplace.

Hefring grimaced when Selena's head rolled back and hit the stone floor. He had let her go to turn the golden faced knob on the door he was trying to enter. He went through the door which led to a narrow hallway. The hallway was lined with embroidered candles, the bases of which attached directly to the stone wall.

Hefring dragged Selena down the hallway and when he came to another door he opened it with one hand and entered. The room was small and messy. The walls were made up of rows of bookshelves holding a large variety of volumes. Large piles of dusty scrolls and open books lay on the floor, piled up among various curiosities such as mechanical planetary systems and star charts. A small cleared area allowed Hefring to continue to the back of the room which, through another door, led to his own room.

His room was well lit, as a large lantern hung from a spoke on one of the walls. It was larger than the previous room and much tidier. There were several used utensils and a small pile of clothes on the floor, but besides these and a large bearskin rug at the base of the bed, the floor was bare. The walls were covered with parchment and stone fairths depicting various animals and landscapes. Hefring had a hobby of drawing with both with magic and with ink. One of the walls was taken up by a large bookcase, filled to its edges with various history books and novels.

He dragged the woman to a cot, which was situated in a corner of the room under a large dirty glass window, and let her fall onto the mattress. Stepping back from Selena, Hefring groaned and leaned back, stretching his tense back muscles. He was finally free from his duties. He had completed the task his master had given him and, even though he had a lot of assistance from Ajax, he felt content with the result. Hefring stepped out of his room, leaving Selena laying on the cot, and paused at the door. He contemplated locking it but decided not to, figuring that the woman was probably competent enough with the ancient language to open a simple lock.

He made his way down the hall and out the way he came, through the large chamber with the fireplace. Ajax was no longer in the room, making a mysterious exit through an unknown passage. Hefring went through another door leading off of the main chamber and made his way down a stairwell which spiraled all the way to the basement of the Keep.

At the bottom of the stairway was the storeroom filled with various foodstuffs such as dried venison and fruit. Hefring spotted a large metal pot lying in the corner and picked it up. He then went to a box of meat and put two large strips of venison into the pot. After grabbing several other ingredients, including several herbs and a handful of dried tubers, Hefring heaved the pot to his chest and returned to his room.

Hefring used a spell to fill the pot with water and after adding all the ingredients he had collected, laid it on the floor. "Stenr heita" he said and the stone under the pot turned a glowing orange. After a short while the water in the pot was boiling and the rich aroma of venison stew filled the room.

Hefring decided that Selena needed to eat as much as she needed to sleep and he proceeded to wake her, muttering "Vakna".

Selena slowly opened her eyes and looked around the room. Then, as if slowly remembering what had happened, she felt her arms and caressed them against herself.

Looking towards Hefring she muttered, "What happened?"

"You made to leave and my Master stopped you" he replied in a sympathetic tone. "Your arms and legs will probably be sore and itchy for a while but they're fine. Ajax healed you himself."

Selena pulled herself up off the cot and tried to look out of the window. It was covered with so much dust and grim from years of neglect that it was no longer transparent. Hefring enjoyed the natural light of the sun but he was fearful of heights so he left the window in its natural state.

Selena sighed and walked to another corner of the room, precariously stepping over the pile of clothes on the floor, and began unbuckling her bracers and grieves. She had refused to take off her armor when Hefring suggested it earlier in the day when they were starting the journey back. After removing her chainmail cuirass, revealing a muddled brown cloth tunic, Selena approached the boiling pot and sat against a wall facing Hefring. She hugged her legs in close to her body and rested her chin on her knees.

They waited in silence for the soup to finish cooking and after about a half an hour Hefring stirred the soup and without looking up he asked "Can you hand me those". He pointed to two wooden bowls and Selena handed them to Hefring who proceeded to clean them out and fill them with the soup.

He handed a bowl to Selena who muttered a soft "Thank you" before digging into the meal. The two did not speak until they had both eaten several servings of the stew. Selena wiped her mouth with her sleeve, laid the bowl on the ground beside her, and looked at Hefring.

"Why are you here?" Selena asked.

The question seemed strange coming from the woman. She should have been worried about her future instead of Hefring's past.

"What do you mean?" Hefring said distractedly. He had not finished his bowl of soup and was not paying full attention to the woman.

"I mean…you don't seem to belong here, cut off from everything. Why iare/i you here?" Selena continued in a serious tone. The question bored into Hefring's mind for he had raised similar questions with himself.

"I've always been here." He said, shaking his head. He was struggling to come up with an answer. "There's nowhere else for me to go. I have no family that I know of" he explained, "Though I have to admit I've always wanted to see the rest of the world."

"So why don't you leave?" Selena asked. She was staring at Hefring and when he met her gaze he noticed she had deep brown irises.

He put his half empty bowl on the floor next to him. He felt unusually comfortable with Selena, talking to her seemed to come easier than with the other occupants of the Keep.

"I don't leave because my master has taught me that the world is dangerous. He said I need to learn more and become stronger to be able to deal with it." Hefring pointed out as he shifted into a more comfortable position.

"Your master? Does he condemn you to isolation the rest of your life? What makes you think he knows what's best for you?" Selena accused. There was a hint of suppressed anger in her voice.

"He's teaching me. I mean I think he's trying to prepare me for leaving. He's taught me all kinds of things like reading and writing and the ancient language so it's not like he's not doing anything for me." Hefring replied. He had mixed feelings about the old man. At times he was a kind and wise mentor and then suddenly he would act insane and unstable. But there always remained the fact that without a mentor, Hefring would still be illiterate and uneducated.

"He seems overly oppressive to me." Selena said in a matter of fact tone. She rested her head on her knees again, pulling her legs closer to her body.

"You only say that because he broke your arms and legs." Hefring said and let out a small laugh, which he instantly regretted. He paused and looked down at his legs, which were crossed, and started rubbing a stain on his trousers. "You're right though, he is oppressive. Sometimes I feel like we are just in his way, you know."

Hefring paused again. He felt uncomfortable talking about his master without him present, like he was doing something wrong. "He spends most of the time in the caves muttering incantations and when he comes out it's just like do this or do that. Go kill some soldiers or go fetch a young trout." He explained.

"But I need him right?" he went on to ask, "Right?"

"Perhaps, perhaps not." Selena said, tilting her head to the side. "Where did he come from anyway?"

"Well, let me think. It was a while back, at least five years ago I think. Before that it was just me and Ajax." Hefring explained.

"Wait. Ajax raised you?" Selena asked

"Well I was around three when he found me - at least I think I was three. I already spent enough time with humans or whoever raised me to have an idea how to act like a human and I had a basic vocabulary. Ajax taught me how to hunt and stalk animals and stuff like that but he actually learned the human language from me."

He continued, "So when master showed up five years ago, he kind of forced me to be his pupil. He never directly told us why he came or even how he found this place but I think he's studying the magic in the caves. It has something to do with taking energy from naturally occurring sources like the sun but I don't know much about it. He never talks about what he's found."

"Have you ever been in the caves?" Selena questioned.

"No" he answered abruptly. He felt uncomfortable giving information to Selena about the caves. His master enforced that the information should remain a secret and he already felt bad about saying as much as he did.

Selena seemed to sense Hefring's reluctance to continue on the subject so she asked, "Do you know where you are? I mean relative to everything else."

Hefring thought about the question. He had never seen a map of Alagaesia, though he was sure his master had one. "All I've seen is the maps of the forest. Master has described Alagaesia to me but he's never shown me a visual." He explained.

"You're in the Beor mountains, close to the western edge of the range. You are living on top of what is called Mani's Caves, the long lost dream caves of the dwarves." Selena said as if it should be common knowledge.

He had heard the names before but could not picture them cartographically. "Yeah, I know about the Beor mountains and I know who Mani is. He is the dwarf who built this Keep." Hefring explained then continued, "So tell me Selena, what's the rest of Alagaesia like?

Selena's eyes lit up as she replied, "It's beautiful. From the rolling plains between Palencar Valley and Uru'baen to the vast sandy Hadarac Desert to the green forests of Du Weldenvarden. This land is beautiful Hefring."

Her eyes darkened and her brows furrowed as she continued. "The occupants…not so much."

"What do you mean?" Hefring asked with increasing curiosity.

"I guess you have a right to know. Because of your ignorance this might come to a shock to you but Alagaesia is ruled by a tyrant king. Oppression spreads across the land and war threatens to break out. The peace you find in these forests does not exist elsewhere. Strict tax collectors, slavers and army recruiters invade people's homes and spread unhappiness." Selena said angrily, the rage in her voice surprising Hefring.

"Do you serve under this tyrant king?" Hefring asked, remembering what Selena had told him when they first met.

"Yes." She said. Her composure diminished and she averted her gaze away from Hefring, looking down at the floor.

"Why?" Hefring asked as gently as he could. The change that occurred in Selena warned him that he was treading on a very sensitive topic.

"I…I was young and stupid Hefring." She replied, her voice full of sadness. She was shaking her head in disbelief and regret as she continued, "I fell in love with the king's greatest servant. He forced me to swear in the ancient language that I would not disobey him. Now I'm just a tool." she struggled to say, choking on her emotion, tears building up in her brown eyes.

"I have done great evil Hefring." Selena managed to gasp before bursting into tears. She buried her head in between her knees as her whole body shook in tremors. She let out a constant sorrowful cry as if her whole depressed mind was spilling out of her mouth.

Hefring was taken aback with the woman's action for he had never seen anybody cry before. It made him uncomfortable and he was lost as to what he should do, so he just sat still and watched as Selena cried her heart out.

After what seemed like hours to Hefring, Selena finally calmed down slightly and stopped shaking. Tears were still streaming down her face when she looked up at him. Her nose and the areas around her eyes were red and swollen.

Hefring met her gaze and said the only thing that came to his mind. "You don't seem evil to me."

Selena let out a choking laugh. "Thank you I guess" she said, wiping the tears off of her face with her sleeve. "I've made a fool of myself haven't I?"

"No you haven't" Hefring replied with a sigh and then, unsure of what else he should say, pointed to the cot. "You should get some sleep you know."

"Yeah, I feel like I could pass out any moment." She replied, still rubbing her eyes.

"You can sleep on the bed" he gestured as he walked to the other side of the room.

Hefring picked up the bearskin rug and dragged it to a corner of the room. He collapsed onto his back and looked towards where Selena had fallen into the bed. He felt sorry for the woman but he could not relate with her. The only human interaction he's used to is with his master and that did not prepare him at all.

On any other night he probably would have stayed up thinking about the situation but he was thoroughly exhausted. He muttered "Losna du garjzla", extinguishing the lantern on the wall, and resigned himself to the darkness.


End file.
